Cherwell Boathouse is a family-run restaurant beside the River Cherwell in North Oxford, inside an Edwardian building housing a punt station since 1904. The Verdin family has run the restaurant here for over 50 years, pairing a seasonal, modern European menu with a riverside setting
Starters might include ajo blanco with garlic and almond, burrata with cornichon salsa and samphire, or a pork terrine with peach chutney. Other options include mackerel with sauce gribiche and lemon leaf, octopus carpaccio with orange and chilli, and a heritage tomato salad with whipped feta and broad bean.
Mains range from a Cotswold chicken breast with baba ganoush and spiced tomato salsa to a rib-eye steak with triple-cooked chips and a red wine and soy emulsion. Other dishes include monkfish with charred baby gem and tarragon veloute, lamb Henry with mash potato and rosemary jus, coley with caper and golden raisin puree, and a vegan chana masala with spinach and pickled lemon.
Puddings take in a candied lemon tart, a chocolate marquise with salted caramel and sourdough ice cream, and a chilled coconut rice pudding with passion fruit and lime, while a cheese board draws on the likes of Cashel Blue, Cornish Yarg and Cotswold Brie. An extensive wine list runs alongside the menu.
Wide windows and riverside seating make the most of the setting, with views over the same stretch of water used by the Boathouse's own punt station. It is this combination of riverside setting, family history and seasonal cooking that has made Cherwell Boathouse a long-standing Oxford favourite.